Feb 28, 2014

This month the crews continued hand excavating the area under the former front porch of the home [at 4825 Glenbrook Road] down to saprolite. They continued to recover American University Experiment Station (AUES)-related debris. Additionally, they demolished about a 10-foot section of the porch footer wall. Due to the debris we have encountered under the former front porch (hand excavation is a slow process) and days lost due to the recent winter weather, we have had to revise our schedule for Glenbrook Road.

4825 Glenbrook Road (2/13/14)

We now expect to finish excavation work in spring of 2015 and restore the site to residential standards before returning the property back to American University in summer 2015. This schedule could change, either direction, depending on what we encounter during the continued excavation work. At the March 11 RAB meeting we will provide more details and video footage of the current work. Spring Valley FUDSProject UpdateFebruary 2014

Until recently, the soil samples have been non-detect for chemical agents or industrial compounds. A report received Jan. 31 showed that recently excavated soil tested positive for lewisite. This soil came from the area around the location where we discovered the Jan. 17 intact glass bottle that also contained lewisite. The soils currently being excavated are 6-8 feet below ground surface.Spring Valley FUDS4825 Glenbrook Road UpdateFebruary 7, 2014

Army spokesperson Andrea Takash said the container found was not leaking and that she could not speculate on the source of the lewisite found in the soil. Workers have removed countless pieces of glassware from the site. The burial pit is believed to have been disturbed when the home at 4825 Glenbrook was constructed in the early 1990s, and construction workers building the house reportedly suffered injuries consistent with chemical weapons exposure. Residents of the house also reported illnesses before moving out in 2001; the home was subsequently left vacant before it was demolished.

At their meeting last Wednesday, several members of the Palisades/Spring Valley advisory neighborhood commission expressed concerns about the Army’s findings. “Lewisite is nothing to fool around with. It’s a very serious thing,” said commissioner Tom Smith, whose single-member district includes 4825 Glenbrook. Smith said he was also worried that lewisite may have also contaminated neighboring properties — the American University president’s house and the South Korean ambassador’s residence.